The present invention places itself in the domain of AESA (“Active Electronically Scanned Array”) system of new generation which are today required for e.g. Radar multifunctional systems with communication capabilities and electronic/analysis countermeasures, providing a constructive element for the realization of modular active radiating panels, which are economic and scalable depending on the system needs, to be used on multi-roles and multi-domains platforms. The architecture according to the invention presents a so-called “tile” architecture and uses a multilayer configuration incorporating the radiating elements, the control and supply controls, the transmitting/receiving (T/R) modules, the cooling system by using vertical interconnections, having a low cost and high integration. This architectural choice opposes to the so-called “brick” architecture with lower integration wherein the single elements are connected to each other by cables or adapters with high increase of costs, weights and reduction of performances.
The systems for AESA antennas in the known art are based at least partially on a patent made by Raytheon. Such approaches are highly technological and based on high investments and so-called “3D module” solutions, i.e. the circuits of the T/R module (receiving amplifier, transmitting amplifier, control logic board, power supply board, etc.) are disposed on more superimposed layers.
So-called “Integrated Tile Module” architectures are being developed by Anglo-Saxon subjects: someone utilizes approaches for the active 3D module wherein this is arranged on various layers instead of an only plane, others propose the use of packageless components (each transmitting/receiving module is without isolation box) realizable only with technologies that can be developed with high investment costs. It remains therefore the need of a solution that re-uses at best the existing devices combining them in accordance to a new and inventive technical concept, obtaining as an added value an optimization of weight, compactness and a reduction of costs both for the radiating part and the control and energy supply part.
US 2003/112184 A1 discloses a wide band GaAs microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) transmit chip that is capable of transmitting linearly or circularly polarized signals when connected to a pair of orthogonal cross-polarized antennas. In an active phased-array antenna environment, this transmit chip is capable of transmitting signals with different scan angles. This invention also contains a digital serial to parallel converter that uses TTL signal to control the phase shifter and attenuator circuits that are required for controlling the polarization and scan angle of the transmitted signal.
However, US 2003/112184 A1 presents a topological structure of the modular active element that is not compact and therefore is particularly expensive and not enough effective.